MICROBIAL ASSESSSMENT OF PARTIALLY USED SACHET WATER DURING STORAGE

ABSTRACT

Sachet water has become one of the common sources of drinking water in Nigeria. Most of these sachet water have been shown to contain large amount of microorganism if left partially used which may cause harm to human health. The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial load of partially used sachet water during storage. Different brands of sachet water, namely Notre dame, Olivia and Uniben table water were purchased in Benin City. The samples were shared in to two, one part was stored at room temperature and other in the refrigeration temperature. The samples were  stored for 10 d and analyzed every 2 d for bacterial and fungal counts. Samples Media used were Nutrient agar and Eosin methylene blue for bacteria count and potato dextrose agar for fungi. Culture characteristics and biochemical tests were used for identification of isolates. The fungal isolates were microscopically examined using lactophenol blue stain. Physicochemical analysis was done for each sample before storage. The highest bacterial count of 11.00±2.50× 10²cfu/ml was from sample O (Olivia water) under room temperature after 4days of storage while the least 2.00±0.75× 10²cfu/ml was from sample N (Notre dame water) and sample U (Uniben water). The highest fungal count (1.0±0.75× 10²cfu/ml) was from sample O (Olivia water) under refrigeration temperature after 10 days while the least (0.5±0.75× 10²cfu/ml) was from sample N (Notre dame water). The identified bacterial isolates were Streptococcus pyogenes, Micrococcus luteus, Corynebacterium xerosis, Pseudomonas  fluorescence, Serratia marcescens and  Alkaligenes faecalis. The identified fungal isolates were Rhizopus oryzae, Milucor spp., Absidia spp. and Trichoderma spp. The outcome of this study indicates that the partially used sachet water is contaminated and may cause harm if consumed.